The Lying Game
by Animedion
Summary: It was supposed to be simple, a simple mission where she stayed completely loyal to the Flaming Phoenix. But as the Sirius grew on her, guilt eclipsed her. Was this truly the right way to go, could she continue lying to such good-hearted people as the Sirius? In a game of charades, her perspective could be lost. Just where do her loyalties lie in this messed up game?
1. Chapter 1

I don't own Pirates in Love, also please enjoy!

This was supposed to be a simple job, easy for someone of her intellect and fun for someone of her incredible abilities, but by the moment Scarlett felt an anchor bury itself deeper into her chest because now she was officially part of this intense game.

_Or am I just a pawn?_

To be honest the brunette believed herself to be the master of the game; however, deep down, she realized how critically insignificant she truly was. After all, today's incident with her wise yet hot-headed captain had left no doubt of how easily to replace she truly was. The fact her perceptions were always correct made the situation throb in her eyelids, very exasperating, indeed.

As if to exaggerate in a very deep, spiritual way, the twenty-year old decided to sulk on the watch-tower; her pearly teeth gnawed harshly in thoughts of sweet yet frigid revenge as the wind swayed her multi-colored hair back and forth, like a simple game of tag. Scarlett's dark hair would gently whisper," You're it," but then the wind would harshly counter with a breath-taking push," No, you are it." And they would continue the endless parade of idiocy until someone annoyingly decided to disrupt Scarlett's thoughtful demeanor.

"Yo, Scarlett, get down here!"

That tormenting child with her perky blonde hair and her lightly tanned skin, and the very fact she had the guts to threaten and challenge Scarlett unnerved her even more. There was a time when the sixteen year- old had made our beloved heroine turn a color that resembled her name, but that's another story that Scarlett still couldn't get over. The ridiculous humiliation that had caused her veins to pump blood at a ridiculous pace, not to mention the red tint that had consumed her usually pale cheeks, why she should've hacked her with her ax spot on! But the brunette hadn't an action she would regret for the rest of her life.

"What." Venom filled the word as it hit the only other female onboard in the face like a ton of hard bricks. Scarlett didn't feel like playing around at this moment, mostly with the scrawny girl that stood pride fully with a glimmering sword drawn out that seemed to blind Scarlett.

Already, she could imagine the fight between them- one she could easily win- a plan was already sky-rocketing in her mind, but Scarlett didn't have the energy to spar head-on with Felicity. However, the few words the teenager blurted out made her tremble in the soles of her ebony boots, the shock was too much.

"_The captain needs to see you, again."_

Again? Why again, Scarlett had thoroughly let the captain know what she thought, in fact, she'd even black mailed him into not making her do that preposterous mission. _"Board the Sirius, earn their trust, and then steal the treasure." _ Scarlett realized the severity of the current request if he was willing to ask her once more, in fact, she felt prideful for being held so highly by her captain, but a part of the golden eyed girl resented him for it. That was wrong of her, how could she resent him?

_He saved you._

Her beloved captain **had **saved her from a world of slavery; the man with the jolly laugh had rescued her from the sins of poverty and the debts of her family. The debts and the atrocities forced onto her, all because of a broken family, and a high price on a head. Fickle blood was what she called it, damn fickle blood. So fickle, it had even corrupted her, for she had left her younger brother at an orphanage believing it to be the best choice; turns out, bandits raided the city after that fateful day. Her young, sweet, annoying, yet adorable younger brother was gone, and if he was alive, well, he'd probably kill her on spot. After all, Guillermo had never been the most peaceful child, but that was most likely her demanding personality influencing his.

"Why? Nevermind." The girl with the various golden strands of hair sighed, still a mystery how she had gotten those. Stress, perhaps? On the other hand, Felicity smirked which was by all means the exact opposite of Scarlett's contorted expression of worry and- what was it- fear? That was new. Felicity smiled even brighter," That's what you get, red."

"_It's Scarlett,"_ she snarled like a caged cat, one more reason to hold a grudge against this pathetic lily-livered wench. Millions of scenarios passed through her mind, until the perfect plan had been formulated, carefully, her gloved hand were an inch from grabbing the ax that was slung lethargically behind her back when she remembered the task at hand. So instead, Scarlett settled down by glaring her golden irises at the blue-eyed blonde that stood cackling like a witch- which she probably was.

And soon, as she ambulating at her own nervous pace Felicity was left in the dust and all that remained were the dark hallways that lead to the captain's luxurious quarters. Truly enchanting, with all the golden necklaces and royal jewels that sparkled all over the different tables of display- which was stupid, because if they got raided his treasures could be easily taken, not that she would ever debate that scenario with anyone on this crew-that decorated the large room. All the tables were large and grand, all made of different woods exported from all over the world, they seemed to add on to the elderly captain's wisdom and experience, as they did, to his marvelous stories of adventure on the seas.

The seas, her stomach growled, Scarlett had almost forgotten she was cruising on a dark ship known as the Flaming Phoenix. Motion sickness was her one and only weakness when it came to terms of piracy and doing raids, Scarlett shamefully realized she was most likely the only pirate with motion-sickness.

_ Get your mind of it! _Her insides groaned at her nauseously, not making it better! Luckily, she'd reached the grand wooden doors of her captain's cabin. Hopefully, this would end so badly her sea-sickness would be put behind her. Hopefully, unless it ended with him retiring and giving her a promotion, which would most likely never happen since the guy literally had more lives than a cat. Not to mention, he also had an inflated ego the size of a lion.

First, her hand automatically knocked nervously five times, and then Scarlett waited for the all clear sign. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the captain's raspy voice rang out in the impatient silence that seemed to stick to Scarlett like mosquitoes, or, in her perspective, those unnecessary nuisances that enjoyed sipping her blood like booze. She could imagine them getting drunk of the crimson liquid that flowed through her circulatory system," A le Scarlett! Ohonhon!" Wow, that made her slightly uneasy as she timidly opened the doors. The young lady had been shocked all day, but she was petrified when a whoosh of rose-scented wine invaded her senses for a second, until her golden eyes took over once more to notice a packet of wrinkled papers lying flat on the table.

"Hello, Scarlett, I, once more, am going to ask you to invade the Sirius, please I am begging you, _please, do this for me." _Never had she heard him slur or speak in this desperate tone, and it made her feel guilty. The old man was trying to guilt trip her, great. However, this meant he wasn't going to stop prying her to complete this. So, after taking a shaky breath and swallowing her fears and her pride, the young lady nodded curtly.

"I-I'll do it."

As a member of the Flaming Phoenix, and one that directly owed her life to the captain, she simply wasn't allowed to shake this off. This quest was only for her because she was qualified and by far the most mature on board. The captain knew this as well, as a knowing grin creased his face like tanned paper being folded," Here drink some wine." Scarlett proudly shook her head as she realized this quest was an honor only she could complete. Only she would be able to invade the Sirius and take them head on with her wits, sure Jordan was exceptionally tall and strong, but he didn't compare to the seductive power a woman could possess at times. And Felicity was by all means out of the question for she was too full of herself and too impulsive. Scarlett in turn smiled," So, when do I start, Cap?"

Her captain chuckled, before winking mischievously and pushing the curious pile of papers forward, that knowing smile was still glued onto his face," That's my girl," he loudly hollered before bellowing in a fit of laughter. The graying man knew she had gotten the message of his reckless objectives. And as soon as curiosity consumed her inquisitive nature, the girl snatched the papers with a crazed smirk much to her captain's delightful and addictive laughter. Instantly the intellectual female chuckled as well, for in the pile of paper stood millions of articles concerning the notorious Sirius and their billions of so called 'crimes.' This job was no doubt perfect for her, one that would probably challenge her but who doesn't love a nice puzzling charade once in a while.

"To answer your question," her captain spoke- rudely breaking her chain of thoughts with the papers- with an assertive yet content tone," you start next week, so by then I need you to have memorized and studied this at your best ability. Also, start figuring out a personality, my dear girl, because being a bar maid is hard as hell."

A bar maid? He didn't honestly expect her become one of those whores, did he? Still for some odd reason that didn't matter or even bother her in the slightest way , because all Scarlett did was smirk not even phased by the cover her persona would have to take, besides if something went wrong, she always had her trusty ax. A beautiful ax indeed," So I'm going to be a lowly bar maid, are you doubting my abilities?"

More delightful laughter resumed after a thoughtful pause," Of course not, but the Sirius seem to just love hooking up with those canker-blossoms, and I've heard they might pass by Yamato for a fighting competition, perfect for you to seduce, and play a little game with their hearts, right?"

Scarlett nodded, completely confident in her abilities, but slightly phased by the lying game she would have to play. What if those pirates ended up growing on her? No, that was silly and ridiculous and by all means obscene by her part, and even if they did she would quickly push them out of her heart. Even if it took having to personally get rid of them by an ax-y means, still as her golden pools skimmed over the papers strategically- scenarios already passing through her head as future plans and what not- these pirates were pretty good-looking compared to most guys she'd have the unfortunate luck of meeting. Those meetings usually ended with someone ending up with ice down their pants, and I'll give you a hint it wasn't her with the ice in her skin-tight black pants. That caused another realization to trouble her tremendously, no more dark colors!

Normal bar maids didn't wear black pants or leather boots or belts that had sharp objects dangerously dangling from them, did this mean she'd have to wear a dress? Possibly she decided, and the girly part of her suddenly got excited as she suddenly came up with the perfect persona: the nice, motherly, and warm girl, who was mostly an air-head, perfect, because it was by no doubts her complete opposite. Still, her persona should at least have a temper since most men were ridiculously sexist.

"Getting excited?" Her captain smirked as the expressions on her face changed and varied by the debate that was currently occurring in her mind. Quickly as her face immensely turned a bright tomato red, she abruptly stood and excused herself indirectly by defensively speaking in a humiliated tone," N-no, I need to go study!"

She slammed the door as her feet tangoed her away as if being pulled by a musical current, and almost immediately she barged into her own quarters which were filled with notes, books, notebooks, and anything you would find in a nerds room. Sadly, the room was a complete mess with all the pinpointing she'd had to do last night in terms of finding a more rapid and safe course to Yamato. Such a mess her boots tripped over an intruding globe that sat right in the middle of her room, Scarlett scolded herself harshly.

Everything seemed to be a terrible mess, even her dear bed. Now that she thought about it, how had she fallen asleep last night? That greatly disturbed her as she gracefully managed to stand up only to trip once more on a random whip she had lying on the floor. A whip? So that's where that went, she concluded slightly ashamed of her disorganization, still this disorganization gave her great creativity in moments of planning and strategizing the perfect plan. However, there was no doubt she would have to clean it in order to peruse the Sirius pirates. So the golden-eyed girl stood once more, and this time she didn't trip but she bumped straight into the edge of her bed, which she hadn't seen because of Jordan's bright yellow overcoat which was inexplicably in her room. This time she cursed as her balance was lost and her curvaceous body fell directly on a metal riffle.

_That'll leave a bruise. _

Groaning angrily, the girl pushed herself up. In the mirror, she saw an immediate problem! Normal barmaids didn't have random gold streaks in their hair! And people form Yamato didn't have eighteen-carat golden eyes, these were foreign aspects all proving her immigration from the western colonies. There was no way the Sirius had ever been to the Western Colonies though; the place was a war-zone sadly. The war-zone that had raised her into a life of fighting and constant pain; however, she survived and would most definitely find a way through this ordeal.

Now that that was settled, there was only one thing left to do she concluded proudly: Clean this mess up!

* * *

So cleaning the mess up, did in fact take up fifty years of her mortal life, surprising, no? Just kidding, in real time cleaning her now-spotless habitat took up four hours of her life. And currently, the lass was sprawled out across the floor as the paper's beneath her were being undressed word by word. Articles about billions of different accidents and incidents involving the six Sirius Crew members: Morgan, Nathan, Eduardo, Russell, Christopher, and Thomas, were all being cautiously perused and noted on as if the world's balance depended on her scribbly jottings.

A strange group of pirates, Scarlett had concluded. These Sirius Pirates were mysterious for each article included a limited amount of information, and their wanted posters only showed their faces with a few typical facts like height and weight, and these ignorant eye witness reports that made her even more confused. And over and over again the same question popped up in her head: "_Who are the Sirius Pirates?"_ Scarlett knew they were powerful for Morgan was the pirate king which made her wonder about her Captain's sanity, why would he want to threaten the king of all pirates? And the captain of the most notorious crew to currently roam the sea? Perhaps the old man had finally blown a gasket, probably, she decided solemnly.

The pirates were all so unique in their own way with features that were so-what was the word-...provocative.

Her cheeks flared up as a lustful temperature spread through her soul and tired body, maybe it was finally time for her to slumber. These wild, rowdy thoughts were most likely the result of her lack of sleep. This was one of her major flaws: believing herself, that is, because after all the independent human being was still a woman, one that tended to overestimate and underestimate, but still a woman. And from far, you could tell she was not innocent in this strange game of chess; however, when it came to this subject-the subject of love- she was absolutely terrible since her childhood had been one filled with working and doing nothing else but being a foster mother for her younger brother.

And those childhood years had given her a demanding, leader-like character that made her stubborn and unable to back down. But deep inside, she enjoyed giving up despite her breeding. Her breeding had caused many things that also made her radiate this aura for the damsel tended to stand proudly with a taut, straight back. Perfect posture had been a positive result of the way she had been raised, yet there were some factors no one could have ever predicted, not even the most-acclaimed soothsayer. Her looks were the main component of this confusion.

Scarlett was fairly sized in height, average for her age and tall compared to Felicity, who was pretty short. Her body was well proportioned with curves that were almost palpable and very self-evident, they seemed to make her look like some type of old priceless Greek statue made of the pure white marble that could never be worn down. The girl was fit and strong, proof being the fact she always carried around her dark ax on her back, not a typical weapon but it was the only one she actually enjoyed using. Reasoning behind this ordeal, was quite childish and fairly elementary: it all revolved like the Solar System around the fact, she felt like a queen when holding the diamond encrusted weapon. Her fair-skinned visage was alluring, but still not the most glamorous when compared to other women , or so she thought herself. Still the one thing that left everyone shell-shocked were the features that liberally decorated her countenance. Eyes that were as golden as the jewels that shined on her captain' s many tables of display, and hair that was streaked with the same gold that filled the irises of her peeping-holes. Scarlett had heard rumors about her mother having the same colored eyes as hers and golden hair that perfectly matched it, while on her father's wanted poster she'd seen the red eyes her brother had inherited, and the deep black hair that cascaded with her royal curls, and even so this still left people wondering, how?

Curse or gift, this was her and there was no changing since she genuinely felt proud of these western features and for that reason, she would keep her hair braided or pinned into a delicate bun instead of keeping it in it's normal uniform of down and loose. A big step for her since she would also be stripped of her regular apparel which consisted of dark pants, boots, the occasional jacket, and a dark-loose button-down shirt. That was with the memorial of her other weapons that were concealed in her boots and shiny belt. But for the sake of the team, she'd have to do a few sacrifices which was understandable since in every game at least one sacrifice would be made. That brought memories of playing chess with her younger brother up in her mind, the game had been fun and, heck, delightful. Perhaps she'd play it again once they landed in Yamato? The brunette certainly hoped so.

Smiling bitter sweetly at the fun memories that silently tormented her, Scarlett let herself fall face-flat onto the lavender bed. A yawn escaped her lips before she gracefully put the candle out with a loud blast of air. And it wasn't long before the day ended with her golden eyes closing into a world of dreams and beautiful ordeals. Her last thought had been," Good night, Guillermo."

* * *

Not far away from the red hunk of wood known as the Flaming Phoenix cruised a much larger ship that even at this hour was obviously awake. This ship was a soft brown and had a large flag wavering over it like a silent guardian. The black flag that stood proudly had a menacing skeleton with two swords clashing under it: The symbol of the most notorious pirates around, the Sirius.

Large bursts of laughter were heard from miles away as the ship radiated life and just simple festivity. Truly the ship of the Pirate King because no other pirates would be making such a ruckus at this hour, only the Sirius would. These pirates were rumored to never sleep for their lives were filled to the top with parties and woman. Not to mention, the riches that surrounded them, jealous men would always claim that to be the reason their wives would leave them for these heart-breakers.

And heart-breakers they were, surely blessed by the goddess of love, Aphrodite, while others claimed them to be cursed by Ares for wars never seemed to stop being directed at them. But this was far from true, because they were definitely not cursed, anyone could tell that. Just by seeing them opening bottles and living the rowdy life of piracy, you could tell they were going above and beyond when it came to fun.

Tonight was no difference, because as Scarlett hibernated for the night, the pirates of the Sirius chattered on while feasting under the bright full moon that illuminated every crook and nook of the world. Beautiful as it's luminosity brightened up the deck for the group, just more than enough light for them to feast and drink while talking about anything that seemed worthy enough to be spoken about by them, the mighty Sirius Pirates. Their faces reddened by the decreasing alcoholic beverage that would've been gone by now, except these were the Sirius and their supplies were considered to be abundant. Proof of this was seen as the man with the bandana walked on the deck looking bored and lethargic with a delicious plate of freshly-cooked meat.

Whoops were heard as the blond fencer smacked the chef's back," Way to go Nate, your best dish,yet!"

The other crew members nodded, even the cold navigator who sat like an introvert off to the side, a self-evident look of smugness stitched across his eye-patched face. The chef simply shrugged with modesty, and took a seat next to the drinking navigator known as Eduardo.

Across the table from them sat a more mature man with a white shirt that contrasted against his darkly-tanned skin, his face radiated kindness as an amused look crossed his face," Yes, Nate, this does taste great." Everyone nodded once more as the young ginger hiccupped in drunk laughter, the captain did the same except his laughter was more like a lion's roar if compared to anything.

Yes, everything was happy on the Sirius. No problems, no needs to stress since they were just living life the only way they knew how to, by being them. By being them as in a bunch of adventurous young men who searched for priceless treasures all over the world. There was no stopping them because this ambitious crew was only headed one direction, and that was up. But little did they know that their trip to Yamato could turn out to be the most life-changing experience ever.

And, just as Captain Elijah had predicted, the Sirius were on their equal way to Yamato, except they had no devious plans to steal anyone's treasure. This crew only had one thought on their minds, only one real motive to celebrate with everything they had: The fighting tournament. As Scarlett had also hypothesized, they had no intentions of bringing women on board, maybe they could afford a quick fun time, but Scarlett didn't want to lose her innocence yet. So the plan continued, by using the Sirius's weakness, their sacred rule that stated no hurting women or children. As the possibly suicidal Phoenix planned using the Sirius's morals against them, the Sirius sipped their booze light-heartedly,not aware of anything. And as both soon to be enemy-ships came closer to their awaited destination, there was no doubt this game had not yet began.

However soon hours passed and the week flew by like a bird soaring in the blue sky. Scarlett had finally remembered each of their faces and was fully ready for the game to commence because as soon as the Phoenix reached land, a new girl delicately stepped out with her hands insecurely clutched in front of her. Not one who wore black outfits and had her hair loose and wild adding to her rowdy glamour, not one with a shrew temper or one that spoke with an overly formal vocabulary. But a girl with a cute braid that fell gently over the side of her shoulder, and forehead bangs that unlike their counterparts weren't all over the place, but were delicately combed to fall into her golden eyes. A girl with a light pink dress that reached down to her ankles where two powder pink flats comforted her sweaty feet. This was all comforted by the gentle way Scarlett glided across the land with not a care in her head: your typical airhead.

This childish female seemed to smile at everyone unlike her old self who would glare and stare down people like a rabid animal. Even young kids had come up to her asking for her help on random things like homework, she'd gently decline claiming to be late for her job. Which she was going to, but was soon distracted like an actual airhead by a bookstore that stood out to her like candy did to a young kid. The new girlish Scarlett ran with her arms flailing by at her sides- her girly side was definitely enjoying this.

Rapidly, while smiling genuinely like an idiot, the real Scarlett looked through the book shelves for some type of entertainment. From Romance to a simple history novel, she didn't exactly care since either way she'd be getting some new type of knowledge. But sadly everything was in the native language of Yamato, one she wasn't especially good at; however, that was until a bright red novel caught her eyes, obviously about navigation as a world map was pasted on the eye-catching front cover. Involuntarily, her legs moved towards the novel, but out of the corner of her golden irises a man reached for the same book.

Her heart sprinted in her chest like a cat on sugar, before she turned to face one of the six men she had spent this entire week studying. A few inches from her stood a tall man with an eye patch covering one of his eyes, while the other hazel iris stared at her judgingly with a strange gleam in it. For some reason, besides the fact she was, in no way,afraid of him, the look made her shrink back. However it was his deep voice that sent shivers down her spine as his lips spat the words out at her with a great amount of poison lining the expressions," _Get out of my way, woman."_

The usually shrew woman wanted to scream at him while hacking at him with her ax, but that was sadly not possible, so instead she swallowed her pride and moved back timidly. As her golden eyes stared at the grey ground with the bangs covering the real anger that flared like a wild-fire in the pools of gold, Scarlett managed to shakily nod before turning away and storming out of the store. That had not gone well.

As the doors slammed closed behind her, she finally let her anger out by slamming her fist into the wooden wall that concealed all the books inside. The kids, who had once asked her for help, trembled in the soles of their shoes as their bug-eyed faces contorted in fear. A sinister smile came across her face before she snarled in anger,"_ Bug-eyed freaks." _Immediately, the kids scrammed away with their tails between their chubby legs. Her pride was regrettably too big and what Eduardo had done ,left no doubt he was the one she would hurt the most once her betrayal was apparent. The good part of her soul whispered softly,"_No, don't! Give him a chance!" _

In response, the girl sighed before once more regaining her good girl posture, since she was a good girl she would forgive him and not hurt him-that much- so instead she stared back at the tempting book store longingly before taking off for her new job as a poor barmaid, of course, she would first have to knock out one of the current bar-maids, but, hey, sacrifices sometimes have to be made. And soon, the girl left with a not-so-innocent smirk making her feature not-so-girlish but sexy and creepy at the same time.

_Good luck, Sirius, cause I am not holding back. _

* * *

**_So that was the prologue! I don't know if it was good or not, also forgive my grammar errors lol! Thanks for reading, and may the odds be ever in your favor. (Hunger Games moment, lol) I don't own anything except for the OC's, so yeah thanks! TEEHEE! Sorry if there's any grammatical problems or if the main characters a bit too cocky, don't worry though that'll change soon ;) TEEHEE FORESHADOWING! And don't be afraid to comment I won't bite, XD. Siriusly (see what I did there) I won't! LOL  
_**


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own anything. **

"Yes, sir," the brunette replied eagerly to her captain who secretly had left a note in her brown bag. Shivers ran down her spine as she neared the bar, so many times she had sat as a customer with her crew mates; however, now she was going to be the server. The experience! Ok so maybe Scarlett was slightly excited about this new experience as a bar maid. Besides what could go wrong?

Spoken too soon because even before the brunette had stepped a foot into the darkened bar, incoherent shouting could be heard, this unnerved her lots. Wearily, the worried human entered like a shadow through the door, luckily, the men were too focused on their own problems to notice the scrumptious woman entering.

The woman quickly scurried over to her new workplace timidly (she'd just taken a bar maids place by-not beating her as intended since she was now a good girl- but paying her in a wide variety of jewels) her face in awe as the crash of a bottle was heard behind her, immediately, Scarlett gave a slight jump at the loud sound as her hands became clammy like soup. The irritated golden eyed girl didn't feel like being part of a stupid fight this early in the morning, besides she had no weapons and her attire was not correct for a battle.

As if on cue, the master came out yelling a bunch of colorful words that even she didn't have a definition for. The door was tightly slammed behind him causing a bunch of plates to rattle as his dark eyes skimmed the area in the manner a schoolmaster would over his classroom. Scarlett was immediately taken aback as confusion stretched her features. Too add on, his dirty shirt was messily tucked into his ripped pants, and whenever he screamed a lock of greasy dark hair would move with him, causing her to titter at the hilarious motion.

The owner of the rusty looking place certainly looked like the type of person who would own junk like this. Scarlett didn't mean to judge a book by its cover but her suspicions were confirmed as he himself starting tossing bottles at the customers. Once more, the brunette was left babbling and awed, her mouth catching flies as it became a wide circle of complete and utter shock. What was she getting herself into? _Only for a day, _she silently reminded herself reassuringly, this would only be for a day.

The graying man with a beer gut didn't notice the expectant young lady until the last of the slurring men had sprinted out of the bar, but once he did, he fabulously rolled his eyes and quickly muttered out lethargically," You are filling in for?"

Scarlett's eyes widened as the bar maid's name passed through her mind like a cheetah," I'm filling in for Veronica."

"Oh, her, whatever, go clean tables, I don't care!"

The sudden outburst caused Scarlett to wonder what the heck had his panties in a twist. Perhaps, he needed someone to slap him comically across the face. The brunette shook her head violently,"_Good girl, your a good girl!"_ Following her thoughts, the girl swallowed hard and let out a deep breath in response:" So, what's troubling you?"

To be honest, the brunette had never expected the guy to burst out sobbing as he relived his life story to her in great detail. At least she wasn't working, the girl with a breaking headache numbly concluded as the guy told her about the time he burnt his tongue with hot soup; Scarlett smiled forcibly to prove the fact that she understood his pain which was one more lie. Scarlett did not understand the pain of being rejected for a play and then having your wife cheat on you, with your much handsomer costar who just so happened to have gotten you kicked out. No, these dramas were a bit different from her own problems, but still the guy was human and needed some type of comfort, and suddenly she felt a pang of guilt for having judged him too quickly after all only a good-hearted man would have the courage to break out in tears in front of a random young lady. That took real will-power: to admit you were flawed, and so she began admiring him.

Smiling genuinely, she did something she would have never done before: she patted his back reassuringly," Hey, she left you, that is her fault, because I think you 're great so just smile and enjoy the future that could await you with an even better play and a loyal wife." Her words were words she always thought but sounded foreign when being said from her usually realistic tongue, was it weird she liked being this optimistic person? Her head quickly scolded her violently, she was a pirate and speaking like that in front of her crew could be taken as weakness even if it was the way her thoughts were written and rewritten in her head.

The guy nodded before standing up and scurrying into his office, his face in his chubby hands. And for some reason, the girl chuckled good-heartedly before grabbing a gnarly-looking rag and scrubbing the counter with it. A counter that was disgustingly filled to the top with grime and old wine stains, and now that she looked around for the first time with observant eyes did she notice how grotesque the place was.

Of all the bars, this was the worst as the creaky floor-boards were littered with half-burnt cigarettes and dangerous shards of glass. Even the ceilings were filled with creepy looking spider webs that suddenly made her chest tighten, oh, how she hated spiders! Everything was filled with those creepy silky strands that spiders used to swing like the little pests they were. There was no way, the young lady would ever touch any of those sticky webs, just looking at them made her shiver with obvious disgust.

She needed an idea and quickly since Scarlett did not feel like cleaning the entire area of the bar. The amount of elbow-grease that she would have to put in would be ridiculous; the place was pretty large, after all.

A candle seemed to flare up in her golden irises as the woman quickly skipped innocently into the owner's quarters laughing evilly, it wasn't long before the guy was being forced to clean alongside the obnoxiously singing ex-pirate. Her voice seemed to reach annoying shrill notes which only caused the beer-gutted man to pour the grimy water on her in anger and obvious frustration. In response, the plotting, devilish Scarlett tripped him as he walked away causing him to land in one of those disgusting cobwebs," You're cleaning those, got it, owner-dude?"

The guy groaned before releasing a husky laugh as he nodded," Fine, but you clean the faggots."

And that's how their beautiful agreement was reached, and quickly work was near finished as he swiped at cobwebs with a long stick while wiping tables, and Scarlett cautiously picked cigarettes and glass shards in between the floor-boards while scrubbing the shimmering floor. It was almost holy what you could do with a simple stick, rag, and a broom. And coincidently Scarlett wasn't going for clean anymore, this ambitious girl was reaching for perfection.

* * *

The brunette sat on the counter as her sore legs swung back and forth childishly, finally they had finished and the place was looking phenomenal as different colored candles illuminated the place in a fun manner and the wooden tables were decorated with flowers of all types. Not to mention, the counter where Scarlett sat which was wonderfully decorated with magnificent glasses and bottles of costly wine now looked like it belonged at a five star restaurant as the black marble had been revealed to be in fact marble. They had definitely done a great job since not a speck of dust had survived the raid. Even the floor, which had once been black had now become a luxurious caramel color that matched the wallpaper that had been unhidden after Scarlett had viciously scrapped all the stains off the wooden walls. The place smelled like expensive alcohol unlike the disgusting reek that once invaded her nostrils, and now there was no hearing of cracked bottles because the young girl had devised a plan with the owner, one he made a pinkie promise to keep.

Scarlett pulled on the new dress the owner, Ichigo, had handed her since her light pink one had been ruined by grimy water being thrown on her. The girl wasn't complaining since this one actually looked significantly better as it not only gave her a girlish look but a look of elegance as well. Elegance in the form, the white top of the dress had a collar on it, and girlish in the way, the light blue skirt cascaded down her long, muscular legs. Scarlett had also switched to a pair of old brown boots which complemented the outfit greatly. And for that reason she was grateful to Ichigo for the wonderful, advantage he had happily gifted her with. "So how's the wine taste here, old man?"

Ichigo smirked cockily," Why, its the best in town!"

But something was hidden in that prideful smirk of his, was it suspicion or something other than that, Scarlett started to feel weary, and was soon done with being herself, but back to the girly girl act since the tough act just wouldn't do anymore. "Well, thank y-you sir!" A small smile was traced across her features in a thin line, as the girl with the sprinting heart jumped off the counter with a little cute hop, but soon she was frozen in a blizzard of emotions, as Ichigo said something unexpected, something that made her heart skip a beat as if a lightning bolt had hit her.

"I knew your father."

Scarlett wanted to run out or scream or do anything besides just stand there with her eyes wide, as they resembled the typical deer stuck in front of a carriage; however, what could she do, the guy knew her father unless this was all a bluff or he was confusing her for someone else. Scarlett let her breath escape her, she hadn't even noticed herself holding it in. "You do?"

Ichigo nodded as his dark eyes were filled with respect and admiration, which Scarlett found funny because who could ever admire a criminal like her father," Smartest captain to ever sail the seas, your father, Ricardo, but don't worry I won't rat you out since I owe your dad that much."

She turned away from him and nodded without saying anything because this guy had just reached a different level, Ichigo was now a venomous snake that could turn and poison her at any second because anything involving her dear father usually brought bad luck, just look at all the trouble he'd caused with his reign of piracy, the towns that had been considered cursed after he had found a way into them, and completely robbed them of everything. Not one part of her wondered where he was because there was no doubt he was dead, and that certainly did hurt because that had left her as an unwanted orphan. And all that was proof enough, proof that the name they had given the unreachable man was by all means true and a fact, that the name the Black Cat corresponded to him and only him.

Ichigo sighed, realizing the mistake of having blurted this out, or maybe simply not liking this quiet version of the girl, either way Scarlett had no energy to care as she impulsively grabbed a bottle of wine and sat down at the table, in the corner. Maybe the wine would calm her down, it certainly seemed to calm other humans when they felt all emotional or maybe she'd end up crying as she'd seen various people do before. Either way, Scarlett didn't drink the fancy bottle since there was no way she would end up a drunk; so instead the brunette put her head down, awaiting for the bar to open.

Her golden eyes felt dry and watery, if Felicity could see her now the blonde would've realized that the brunette did have a heart, and one that was easily pulled too. That was a weakness, Scarlett sadly realized as the tears threatened to spill like a jug of milk being pushed by an irresponsible kid, and for some reason her mind wondered how her father had felt being called all those names. Now a pang of guilt struck her chest like a dagger, as a child who's parents had left with a terrible legacy and a tremendous debt to pay, she had been so angry and she'd cursed at his memory, and at her mother's as well, but these people and various others had only tried helping her and the brunette had shut them out! _How could you have been so selfish? _

"Don't get your panties in a twist, princess, but why are you crying?" Ichigo's voice made the tears stop and suddenly the golden eyes girl shot up with a fierce look of pride that could not be broken by anything. Still the guy continued, obviously ignoring her glaring," It's my turn to counsel you, girl, so speak."

Scarlett shrugged before standing, rudely she retorted like a spoiled teenager," None of your business."

Ichigo shook his head in disapproval," Well, then wipe your pretty face, the bar's opening and I can"t have my bar maid looking like a mess. And don't worry, your secrets safe with me, after all, I wasn't your father's trusty first mate for nothing."

One more pang of guilt that was mixed with something else, maybe a tiny bit of recognition since her father had told her stories of a first mate with a dream of becoming an actor, that's when her eyes had widened, she knew him! From the pictures of her father's rowdy crew, to the ridiculously priced wanted posters that were hung everywhere, and the hilarious stories her father would tell her whenever he came into town; that made her smile while letting a low giggle out as a story crossed her mind.

Ichigo blushed in humiliation before sighing," I'm guessing your laughing at some story about me, well if you can do that, then get to work!" Then he quickly muttered out a few shallow words," Are my secrets safe with you?"

"Yes, sir!" Scarlett replied loudly before bursting out in a loud fit of laughter, which became contagious as Ichigo let a hearty laugh escape his own throat. They both rapidly went up to the windows and opened the clean blinds revealing a beautiful crescent moon that added to the illumination the candles created. Ichigo proudly flipped the closed sign before opening the door for customers of all shapes, sizes, colors, and personalities to enter. And so a hard night of work began, one that commenced with Scarlett anxiously awaiting for the Sirius to make a grand entrance.

* * *

Across town, three men tiredly ambulated through the, anything-but- luxurious, island nation of Yamato. The tall man with a feathered hat was surrounded by a bunch of overly-busty women that giggled at everything he said, even if it was something stupid like," The cat said meow!" The man on his right, who wore a black eye-patch, was also surrounded by women that he paid no attention to since he wasn't particularly hungry tonight. On the other hand, the man on the left with the bandana had no women around him, and not because he was bad-looking, but because he'd glare at any person that came in a twenty mile radius, near him.

Surprisingly no one paid much attention to them or their obvious attire, maybe because, that just by one look at the tall, muscular man in the middle, you could tell he was a sailor. With his large coat that hung over his shoulders, and a white shirt with a great amount of chest showing, you could tell he wasn't just any ordinary sailor, this brunette with brown eyes was a pirate. A rich one as well since those were the only types that could get five to ten woman to follow behind them at a time.

"Any of you know where there's a bar," the long-haired man purred out seductively. Immediately all woman reacted as each scrambled for his attention, all claiming to know the best bar in town, yet there was only one bar at town, so they really weren't going to get much attention since the place was a junk filled store with nothing much to drink. Still the provocative pirate kept the game going as he softly purred once more,"Eenie meenie," his large hand landed on a red-head with dull grey eyes, that matched the short dress she wore," you get to show me around."

The girl nodded eagerly as all the other women sighed in disappointment, before long they had all strutted away as they tried to make a long-lasting last impression. Which wasn't working out because Morgan was sincerely only paying attention to the quiet red-head in front of him. To his satisfaction, the only damsel who remained was the pale woman he'd picked as she annoyingly babbled about the bar, and how much fun the four of them would have, much to the man with the eye-patch's discomfort as he rolled his one hazel eye in annoyance. In his mind, he growled a shut up but seeing Captain playing with her heart was too much fun. Tomorrow she'd pay anyway.

And as the red-head babbled continuously, Morgan had no choice but to forcefully kiss her in an effort of shutting her up. In return, the girl simply stuttered before completely stopping all functions. Nathan shook his head as pieces of light brown hair moved with the tilt of his head. This was definitely annoying, maybe he should've gone with Christopher instead, he probably already found the bar anyway. He abruptly looked over at Eduardo, who had a look that said he was trying his best not to strangle everyone in sight, the navigator pulled on his long brown overcoat that had golden threads woven into it in frustration, when would they get to the bar?

As expected, it took the sore, aching pirates twenty more minutes to reach their junky destination. For Eduardo, the journey had been twenty awkward minutes of hearing his Captain talk dirty to the red-headed woman who would simply gasp erotically. Luckily, those twenty minutes were over, and soon his pale hand had flung the door aside, leaving space for him to strut in like a rooster.

The pirate was obviously shocked as the outside looked nothing like the peaceful inside that was luxuriously filled with glasses that sparkled under the sensual candles that lighted the place generously. The floor was eye-catching and the marble counter left him impressed, maybe Yamato could be luxurious and interesting at times. Still, the unified whoops left him confused as his hazel eye caught a tiger-like gleam and stared over at a crowded table.

The three men were surprised to find everyone gathered around a table, in the middle of the large bar. Morgan with his hand firmly placed around the red-head's small waist made his way over to the crowd, in curiosity. Eduardo and Nathan reluctantly followed, Nathan had originally been headed to the table in the back corner, since it was the furthest from the crowd, and the noise- the bandana-wearing man was obviously not a people's person. Still maybe curiosity had killed the cat, the bandana wearing man thought as he involuntarily headed towards the crowded area. Like smoke everyone was attracted to the fire in the middle, Nathan couldn't help but wonder what the fire was exactly.

At the table, sat a young lady with a perfectly-sculptured braid and forehead bangs that were tainted with golden streaks, which contrasted greatly against the ebony that filled most of her head. Her golden eyes were entirely focused on the cards, as a sweet smile filled with mischief was forming across her face. The man in front of her, was growing frustrated and angry as the girl took full advantage of that by stretching her arms as an inch of cleave-ledge left the guy with an open mouth.

"What," the girl innocently replied that cute smile making its way across her attractive landscape.

Strange, the damsel felt sober gazes on her; discreetly, the lass tilted her head only to find a red-headed woman glaring at her with the green monster of envy clearly present in her gray eyes. And next to her stood the Sirius, suddenly she felt like retching up the soup she'd eaten. Scarlett had just noticed the Sirius and,for some reason, her nerves were making her sweat violently as her lungs tightened in her chest. What was wrong with her? She hadn't even met them yet, and guilt was already finding a way into her system. Or was it the mere fact the brunette knew this could simply not be done, where did her courage go? Where was that attitude, did it somehow escape from the jar known as her soul? The girl shivered, hoping nobody figured out who she was, because who knew what could happen to a person who was plotting to betray the Pirate King, that was treason beyond treason.

On cue, and much to her relief, Ichigo snaked up to them and escorted them to the table in the back with good-hearted laughter ringing off the walls of the bar. Good, their eyes were now off of her, perhaps that would give her time to release some stress and tension. The golden eyed lass sure hoped so.

In her mind, she silently thanked him for that little action. Ichigo, who was part of this ordeal, even though the owner of the bar had no idea, he was involved in this game of lies, that would surely confuse anyone including the main pawn. The girl sighed at that, as the man blurted out a number loudly and incorrectly," Seven!"

Scarlett sang out with a million dollar smile that left the guy even more angered," You lose."

The bar was filled with whoops as the girl laughed happily, the brunette was done with the girly act, now she would just be her awkward-happy self, that had been decided two minutes ago when the pirates had first walked in with priceless looks of surprise on their faces. The same look was etched on the man's face as he snarled in anger," Do I owe you money, woman?"

Scarlett shook her head with a cocky smile," Nope, just don't call me woman, kay?"

"Kay," the guy muttered out angrily. His eyes were filled with humiliation, and Scarlett knew that if she didn't get out of his eyesight, the guy might actually try to beat her. Now, the brunette needed an excuse to leave the crowd of drooling males.

"Scarlett!"

The girl immediately sighed in fake lethargy," Have to go boys, duty calls." Immediately protests were heard as she snaked her way out of the crowd of slurring men. Her reflexes had helped her avoid being groped by men with perversions, and from being hit by some of the angry drunks, oh, if she had her ax. The thought made her bloodthirsty as she looked around for Ichigo, finally her golden irises located him, Scarlett smiled over at her boss, who sat by the three pirates of the Sirius and some red-headed prostitute. All their gazes were focused on her, and she knew Eduardo had recognized her by the look of recognition that contorted his pale face. What was that? Disgust? He was disgusted by her, great because the booted man disgusted her too!

Managing not to storm or stomp in anger, she made it to the table with an expectant look on her face," Yes?"

Ichigo smiled as his visage crinkled along with the good-hearted expression that made him seem years younger," Could you please go get us a bottle of wine, after all, the best for our best customers, right Captain Morgan?"

Being an air-head on purpose, Scarlett winked at Captain Morgan in an effort of being charismatic, which she was not good at," We do have some bottles of Captain Morgan, would you perhaps like some as well?"

The Captain of the Sirius let out a hearty laugh and nodded," Go ahead, lass!" On the contrary, Eduardo glared daggers at her before ordering himself," Woman, bring me and Nate some booze." Nathan also nodded in agreement, though he hadn't been paying much attention anyway. What was wrong with these bipolar men? Honestly, next time she saw her captain, he going to pay.

"Got it," then the girl stared at her boss expecting him to order since if he stayed here, she'd have a reason to hang around the table."Would you like something?"

The man chuckled," Bring me wine, that's my favorite."

Nodding the vivacious girl left the table, leaving the three pirates staring at the swing of her hips. Morgan more obvious than the other two, and Nathan more discreet than the other two. Though it was Eduardo's eye that lingered down the way she'd gone, he'd seen her at the bookstore,and had scared her. But now, the short girl seemed different as happiness radiated off her figure, which also left him thinking about her. Maybe he was hungry today and should've paid attention to one of those whores. Should've, could've, would've, it would not have changed his second encounter with the girl, who the pirate was almost positive he'd seen before, and not at the book store, but somewhere else. His mind just could not place it as it seemed to remain on her golden eyes and those golden streaks, that only God knows how she got those. His thoughts continuously replayed her walking happily from the table as the braid swung with her curvy hips and the blue skirt flowed in a manner that could only occur with people in some type of Mythology. It was strange how much he found himself thinking, secretly hoping she'd come back, just for him to make a fool of her. Eduardo wanted to break the porcelain doll. That's what the brown-haired man found himself desiring as his hand ran through the slicked hair on his head. Luckily, his sadistic thoughts were broken as Christopher, Russell, and Thomas all arrived with the escort of the owner of the bar, when had he gotten up?

And behind them, Scarlett arrived again with several bottles being balanced on a silver tray, her eyes widened as she noticed the new members who had just sat down. Thomas immediately blushed as her golden eyes met his amber ones, and rapidly he started patting his ginger hair down,"Um, hi miss."

Scarlett smiled, thinking about how cute the little ginger was, such a shame he'd be the first one she'd have to knock out. "Hi, what would you like to drink-"

Eduardo broke in, still lustful with the need to break and see her humiliated, and his eye glaring a dagger at her," We'd all like booze, lady."

Between gritted teeth, Scarlett managed to sound nice as she rudely told him off, thoughts of her ax and him were shooting through her head at a rapid pace," I was asking him, not you, honey."

The honey part made him stand up in anger, for some reason the pretty girl annoyed him with her stupid perfect posture and that perfectly shaped body. It pissed him off to the point he found himself holding his gun. And as soon as he opened his mouth to retort a shark related threat, the girl collapsed unexpectedly.

Eduardo reflexively caught her, his hands grabbing onto the muscles that decorated her arms and her delicate, yet curvy waist. His face was wild as his mouth turned into a full moon that Captain could've used as an excuse for a party. And as expected, Christopher was at his side in a matter of seconds, his tanned hand on her forehead as, like in slow motion, he spoke full of concern," She has a fever, Ichigo, you wouldn't mind if I treated her on the ship, right?"

The guy was all ears as he hastily nodded in agreement," Go, please save her, she's a precious child who shouldn't die this early in life." Somewhere in her mind, the girl felt bad for Ichigo, because she could've easily stayed with him, but instead she had stupidly allowed herself to be drugged. What would her life be like in Yamato with a possible father figure? Who knows, maybe this was meant to be a turning point, or perhaps another anchor to be clawed in her heart. Either way, right now, all she wanted was for the dizzying pain to disappear, never had she ever felt this weak and humiliated. What had the person been planning to do? The outrage of it all caused her to softly moan, all adding to Eduardo's surprise and shock.

The pirate had been ready to curse her out and everything, but now all he did was stare like a lost puppy as Christopher hoisted her gently onto his shoulder,his face contorted as he blurted orders out, the others completely assertive. What had just happened? That's what he wondered as the girl suddenly went completely limp, had someone drugged her?

And as expected, suddenly her senses disappeared and the girl was left with nothing to hang on to, besides the four loud words that followed her into her dark unconsciousness: "Oh, shit, the navy!"

* * *

As light warmed her sore eyelids, and a sudden wave of sickness hit her, the young lady stood up as her head pounded. Someone had drugged her in the bar! And she couldn't wait to beat them, but Scarlett couldn't as her promise to be a good girl resurfaced in her mind like a dead fish. A sigh was heard as it escaped her cracked lips, strange they were fine yesterday. Also, where was she? The walls were wooden and the floor seemed to move causing her to feel sick. The room had one window which revealed a pretty blue sky and a blinding sun. But most of all, the plants around her seemed familiar.

Medical plants! Scarlett was in an infirmary, she proudly concluded. She usually didn't spend time on the Flaming Phoenix's infirmary so perhaps the captain had decided against the suicidal plan and decided to bring her back. However, the place didn't feel like the Phoenix at the least. The Phoenix usually had a depressing hint to it since all the crew members were usually too focused on their corresponding chores. This place was filled with laughter and shouting, incredibly hospitable as a delicious smell reached her nose.

Oh, goodness, she was starving. For that animalistic reason, the drugged girl attempted to stand only to be thrown back by a terrible pain in her abdomen. How was that possible? She most definitely wasn't on her period, and by no means was she pregnant! Scarlett was a virgin as much as she didn't seem like it. And soon her sanity reached her as she realized this was not natural. At the fear of death, she felt like screaming but that might attract unwanted visitors.

Too late, the door was thrown open and in entered the tanned doctor of the Sirius, Christopher. The girl gasped, so the plan had worked even though there had been an unexpected obstacle. But they couldn't know that, so she softly groaned before shooting up which only caused more pain to enter her being. Okay, a lot of pain. The lass literally doubled over clutching the area of her lower stomach, as she tried to adjust to the heart-wrenching hurt.

"You might want to lay back," the doctor said with a concerned look on his face. Concerned her ass, Eduardo had almost gotten into a fight with her last night! But, however, she followed the doctors suggestion and slowly laid back. Her eyes solely focused on Christopher.

Sounding like a scared child, the girl softly whispered as her voice came out hoarsely: concerning yet perfect for the act. "Where am I?"

Christopher sighed, as he grabbed a brown chair and took a seat. That kind smile seemed to brighten up the room, great, more reasons to feel guilt. Add that to the damn list of the millions of reasons as to why Scarlett was a monster. The list was seriously a real list, Scarlett kept it in the notebook where she kept her plans and different strategies, but besides that her notebook was no where in sight. That caused her to groan in frustration, now Felicity had full insight into all her thoughts, great. Could this week get any better?

Christopher once more directed her attention as he noticing her fidgeting, the doctor cleared his throat as he stated the obvious," You are on the Sirius." The girl wanted to laugh as Doctor Obvious crossed her mind, but carefully refrained from doing so.

And,in return, she tried to make a scene of complete and utter shock by recreating Eduardo's moon face," What?" Talking caused her to groan in pain again, which was reflected by Christopher's face-full of concern.

The doctor once more made a life-saving suggestion," I wouldn't talk, but do keep your mouth open for me." That left her shell-shocked as a genuine moon-face made all her features as wide as a plate, all the better for Christopher as he stuffed a strange green leaf with various slits into her mouth. Immediately, the girl tried to stand up but found herself unable to as sleep took her once more, like a shark trying to drown its victim. Had she just been drugged again?

_Best week ever!_

* * *

**_I am done! lol, so yeah I hope it was good. Please give me suggestions and let me know where I can improve since I'm not the best writer XD! Also, sorry for the grammar mistakes. I tried to catch them but sometimes things can fly right past you. Hope you enjoyed this weeks update, wasn't my best, but I tried. *Frustrated sigh* SEE YA'LL NEXT WEEK!_**


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